Bottom Structure of Container

ABSTRACT

A bottom structure of a container comprises a bottom frame including two parallel bottom side rails and two bottom end rails transversally connected to the ends of the two bottom side rails, and one or more wood floors and one or more steel floors extending along the length direction of the bottom side rails, which are alternately arranged in parallel with the bottom side rails and fixed between the two bottom end rails, in which an upper surface of the steel floor is flush with an upper surface of the wood floor. The bottom structure in the present invention has the advantages of saving wood materials and having excellent rigidity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a component of a container, and moreparticularly to a bottom structure for supporting the freight within thecontainer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional container usually comprises two side walls, a door end, afront end, a roof panel, a floor, a bottom frame and so on, in which thefloor together with the bottom frame constitute a bottom structure forsupporting the freight within the container.

Generally, the floor of the bottom structure for the container is madeof wood materials, which have the advantages of low cost and corrosionresistance. However, with the increasing attention to the forestprotection in the world, the wood materials are more and more difficultto be available, because such wood materials are mainly from tropicalrain forest area. Therefore, it is always an ongoing research topicabout saving resource in container industry how to improve the bottomstructure for the container to reduce the resource consumption of thecontainer, for example, reduce the usage of wood floor, and to enhancethe rigidity of the bottom structure of the containers. However, thereis no practical and feasible solution yet, due to the limitations of therigidity and intensity problems of the bottom frame, the manufacturingproblem, the usage problem of the containers and the like.

Therefore, in view of the existing problems of the current bottomstructure for the container, it is necessary to improve the existingbottom structure of the container, so as to enhance the rigidity of thebottom frame, reduce the steel consumption and the usage of the woodfloor, and thereby achieve an object for saving resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a bottom structure of acontainer, which can effectively save wood materials, and the bottomframe of which has excellent integral rigidity.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventionadopts the following technical solution. A bottom structure of containercomprises a bottom frame including two parallel bottom side rails andtwo bottom end rails transversally connected to the ends of the twobottom end rails, and one or more wood floors and one or more steelfloors extending along a length direction of the bottom side rail, whichare alternately arranged in parallel with the bottom side rails andfixed between the two bottom end rails; wherein an upper surface of thesteel floor is flush with an upper surface of the wood floor.

In the above base structure for container, the steel floor may be anelement configured in such a way that a middle portion thereof is bulgedto form a flat top acting as a steel floor surface; and the bottomstructure can further comprises bottom cross members provided betweenthe two sides of the element and the two bottom side rails, wherein thewood floor is fixed on an upper surface of the bottom cross member, andthe upper surface of the bottom cross member is lower than the topsurface of the steel floor in such a way that a height differencebetween the upper surface of the bottom cross member and the steel floorsurface matches a thickness of the wood floor.

In the above base structure of container, the element may have a‘Ω’-shaped cross section.

In the above base structure of container, a reinforcing board may beprovided in a space formed by the bulged portion of the element.

In the above base structure of container, the reinforcing board may havea cross section in any shape selected from a group of ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘C’, and‘U’.

In the above base structure of container, the bottom cross member mayhave a cross section in any shape selected from a group of ‘L’, ‘I’,‘C’, and ‘U’.

In the above base structure of container, one steel floor may bearranged at a middle portion of the bottom frame and two wood floors maybe arranged at both sides of the steel floor.

In the above base structure for container, one wood floor may bearranged at a middle portion of the bottom frame and two steel floorsmay be arranged at both sides of the wood floor.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the followingbeneficial effects: (1) compared with the current bottom structure madeof wood entirely, it can save a lot of wood materials, since the steelfloor and wood floor are arranged alternately and extend along thelength direction of bottom side rail; (2) it can have advantages such asexcellent integral rigidity, since the steel floor is a member which isprovided with a reinforcing board in the inner space thereof so that thestrength of the bottom structure can be enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view for schematically illustrating the construction ofthe bottom structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a projection view for schematically illustrating theconstruction of the container equipped with the present invention,viewing from the container side wall;

FIG. 3 is a projection view for schematically illustrating theconstruction of the container equipped with the present invention,viewing from the end of the container; and

FIG. 4 is a projection view for schematically illustrating the partiallyenlarged construction of the present invention, viewing from the end ofthe container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, the bottom structure of the present inventioncomprises a bottom frame 1 in a rectangle shape as a whole, whichincludes two bottom side rails 11 for forming the length sides of thebottom frame 1 and two bottom end rails 12 for forming the width sidesof the bottom frame 1 and being connected with two bottom side rails 11.

A wood floor(s) 15 and a steel floor(s) 16 are provided between the twobottom end rails 12 and in parallel with the bottom side rails 11. Thesteel floor 16 and the wood floor 15 are fixed to each other andarranged alternately, extending along the length direction of bottomside rail 11 respectively. An upper surface of the steel floor 16 isflush with an upper surface of the wood floor 15. In this embodiment,preferably, the bottom frame 1 comprises one steel floor 16 locatedclose to the middle of each of the bottom end rails 12 and two woodfloors 15 located between the sides of the steel floor 16 and the bottomside rails 11 respectively. Alternatively, more than one steel floor 16can be provided, and a plurality of wood floors 15 arranged alternatelywith respect to the steel floor 16 can be provided correspondingly.

Compared with the traditional bottom structure for the containers madeof wood floor entirely, the above structure can save at least a half ofwood materials, since the wood floor 15 and the steel floor 16 arealternately arranged between the two bottom end rails 12 and extendalong the length direction of bottom side rail 11.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate a preferable embodiment in which the steelfloor 16 and the wood floor 15 are arranged alternately. The steel floor16 is formed of one element 13 having a length substantially matchingthe length of bottom side rail 11 so that the two ends of the element 13can be fixed to the two bottom end rails 12 of the containerrespectively; obviously, the steel floor 16 may also consist of aplurality of elements 13, the total length of which are substantiallyequal to the length of bottom side rail 11. The element 13 is configuredwith ‘Ω’-shaped cross-section such that a middle portion thereof isbulged with respect to the end portions thereof. The bulged middleportion extends along the length direction of the bottom side rail 11 toform a flat top surface 131 of the steel floor for supporting thefreight, and the bottom ends of the bulged middle portion extend outwardto form two supporting feet 132.

There is only one element 13 arranged at the width side of the bottomframe 1 and in parallel with the bottom side rail 11. The bottom ends ofthe two sides of the element 13 extend outward to form two supportingfeet 132, and a bottom cross member 14 is provided between eachsupporting foot 132 and the bottom side rail 11. The bottom cross member14 has a ‘L’-shaped cross section along the length direction of thebottom side rail 11; obviously, the cross section may be in any shapeselected from a group of ‘I’, ‘C’ and ‘U’. The wood floor 15 is providedon the bottom cross member 14, and the surface 141 of the bottom crossmember 14 for supporting the floor is lower than the steel floor surface131 on top of the element 13 by a height difference, which is about thethickness of the wood floor 15. Thus, when the wood floor 15 is fixedonto the bottom cross member 14, the upper surface of the wood floor 15is flush with the steel floor surface 131 to support the freightsteadily. When the wood floor 15 is mounted on the bottom cross member14, the whole bottom structure is formed in such a way that the woodfloor(s) 15 and steel floor surface(s) 131 are alternately arranged(please refer to FIG. 1). Accordingly, compared with the traditionalbottom structure using wood floor entirely, the present invention cansave wood materials. Alternatively, a plurality of elements 13 can befixed at the width sides of the bottom frame 1. In this case, thesupporting feet 132 on both sides of the elements 13 cooperates with thetwo bottom side rails 11 so as to support and fix the bottom crossmember 14, and then the wood floor 15 is located on the upper surface ofthe bottom cross member 14 to be flush with the steel floor surface 131.This also can save wood materials.

A reinforcing board 133 extends downwardly from the top of the element13 into the inner space formed by the bulged portion of the element 13,and thus may effectively enhance the strength of the element 13.Moreover, the reinforcing board 133 has an ‘L’-shaped cross section inparallel with the length direction of the bottom side rail 11.Obviously, the cross section may be in another shape such as ‘I’, ‘C’,or ‘U’.

Compared with the bottom structure made of wood floor entirely, theabove-mentioned bottom structures of the containers of the presentinvention can save a lot of wood materials due to the steel floor;meanwhile, the bottom structure of the present invention can improve thestructure rigidity of the bottom frame thereof, due to the reinforcingboard 133 extending downwardly from the top of the element 13 into theinner space formed by the bulged portion of the element 13.

In the above-mentioned embodiment of the bottom structure of thecontainer, the steel floor 16 is arranged at middle portion of thebottom frame 1 and the wood floors 15 are arranged at both sides of thesteel floor 16. Obviously, the wood floor 15 is arranged at middleportion of the bottom frame 1 and the steel floors 16 are arranged atboth sides of the wood floor 15, which can also have the effect ofreducing wood consumption.

1. A bottom structure of a container, comprising: a bottom frameincluding two parallel bottom side rails and two bottom end railstransversally connected to the ends of the two bottom side rails; andone or more wood floors and one or more steel floors extending along thelength direction of the bottom side rail, which are alternately arrangedin parallel with the bottom side rails and fixed between the two bottomend rails; wherein an upper surface of the steel floor is flush with anupper surface of the wood floor.
 2. The bottom structure of thecontainer according to claim 1, the steel floor may be an elementconfigured in such a way that a middle portion thereof is bulged to forma flat top acting as a steel floor surface; and the bottom structurefurther comprises bottom cross members provided between the two sides ofthe element and the two bottom side rails, wherein the wood floor isfixed on an upper surface of the bottom cross member, and the uppersurface of the bottom cross member is lower than the top surface of thesteel floor in such a way that a height difference the upper surface ofthe bottom cross member and the steel floor surface matches a thicknessof the wood floor.
 3. The bottom structure of the container according toclaim 2, wherein the element has a ‘Ω’-shaped cross section.
 4. Thebottom structure of the container according to claim 2, wherein areinforcing board is provided in a space formed by the bulged portion ofthe element.
 5. The bottom structure of the container according to claim3, wherein a reinforcing board is provided in a space formed by thebulged portion of the element.
 6. The bottom structure of the containeraccording to claim 4, wherein, the reinforcing board has a cross sectionin any shape selected from ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘C’, and ‘U’.
 7. The bottomstructure of the container according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcingboard has a cross section in any shape selected from ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘C’, and‘U’.
 8. The bottom structure of the container according to claim 2,wherein the bottom cross member has a cross section in any shapeselected from a group of ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘C’, and ‘U’.
 9. The bottom structureof the container according to claim 1, wherein one steel floor isarranged at a middle portion of the bottom frame and two wood floors arearranged at both sides of the steel floor.
 10. The bottom structure ofthe container according to claim 1, wherein one wood floor is arrangedat a middle portion of the bottom frame and two steel floors arearranged at both sides of the wood floor.